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Sunday, July 30, 2017

Meet Zachary Eichholz in Florida, author of a new cli-fi novel titled THE END OF THE BEGINNING

''The Madonna of Global Warming'': a photo by novelist Yann Quero in France

His name is Zachary Eichholz. He was born and lives in Florida and has a bachelors of science in Sustainability Studies, which includes topics like climate change, sustainable economics, and renewable energy development. And he has written a new novel, his debut novel, a cli-fi thriller, titled THE END OF THE BEGINNING. It's available on Lulu ordering site now and here's some background.

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Zach tells this blog, in his own words:

The End of the Beginning is a climate fiction novel meant to teach and inform those who read it about the science of human induced climate change and its associated effects on not only our planets natural systems but ourselves. The book teaches and informs not through the style of a textbook or journal, but instead through what I hope is a captivating story, a story everyone needs to hear. I believe that one can convey factual information to modern audiences better through various forms of entertainment like books and movies than other more traditional methods because people ten to connect better to them with emotion. If the story they watch or read captures them then they will remember it better and relate to it more easily so why not throw some facts into that story as well that they can also remember, especially when affixed to something that touched them personally. It is to be the first book released of a four part series.

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I started writing this book three years ago, just as a hobby. It would be something I would work on in my free time after classes. As I got further into it though, and further along in my college degrees education, learning about sustainability and climate change, I realized that what I was writing was something that could be used as tool for the masses.

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Science, now more than ever, is having a hard time making it to the public's ear and that’s not good. Science has allowed us to become who we are, allowing us to achieve so much. We need an acceptance of science to help us overcome what we face, not a rejection of it. This book uses real science, real climate change data, and real sources and weaves it all into it into a future that, although fiction, is still based heavily on realty.

The book takes place in near future timeframes; one in 2020 at the beginning of the book and one in 2027 when the story predominantly plays out. A fictional Second Korean War brought about by climate change induced drought in 2020 see's a small regional nuclear war take place in which the main character, US Air Force pararescuer Captain William Emerson is apart of and suffers tremendous loss in. Scarred and injured from this incident he retreats from the world for seven years until 2027 rolls around where he is approached by members of a new UN based organization called UNIRO, which stands for the United Nations International Rescue Organization, a organization formed from the realization that climate change was becoming the root of most of the globes problems (war, famine, disease, social unrest, water shortages, food scarcity, weather related disasters, etc.) UNIRO is tasked with reversing human induced climate change and its negative effects while also rescuing people from climate change released disasters. In the book UNIRO is the largest peacetime initiative ever undertaken by humanity and begins massive geoengineering projects and CO2 emissions reduction strategies. William reluctantly agrees to join the rescue side of the organization and rejoins the world. The main antagonists in the book are an ecoterrorist group called Terra Nova that form from political inaction and a general sense of abandonment from the international community on the issues of climate change and sustainability. They want to take matters into their own evil hands to reshape civilization and frequently come into conflict with UNIRO.

Climate change science is taught to all UNIRO members.

The official synopsis of the book is as follows:

"Tragedy. Death. Loss. That is all retired U.S. Air Force pararescuer Captain William Emerson has ever known. Both nature and man have controlled his life, and taken all he thought he was. Reduced to a shattered shell, William is ready to end it all when, after years of isolation, he is unexpectedly approached with a chance to begin anew. With Earth’s ecological systems nearing collapse, society finds within itself one final gamble to find its hope for a better future in the form of a new United Nations organization, called UNIRO, designed to rescue and rehabilitate the planet and its people. Swept back into the business of saving others under this new organization, William must first learn how to save himself in a new position that sees him struggle to become a leader again. As he trains and rebuilds his life within UNIRO, he finds strength through friendship, inspiration, and sheer human will, realizing he is not alone on his endeavors of recovery.

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But UNIRO is not the only organization preparing to fight for change. A new sect of terrorist, formed from the inaction and corruption of an unjust system that serves only the powerful few, rises from the shadows of desperation and take matters of change into their own genocidal hands. Attack after attack begins to challenge the budding UNIRO and brings the planet closer to the brink. William is thrown back into chaos as suspicions of allegiances arise from within his own ranks and terror finds its way into the very heart of civilization’s final hope for survival."

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The End of the Beginning was released on July 20, 2017 through the self-publishing website Lulu as an ebook, paperback, and hardcover. The link below will take one to the books official website where one can learn more about the UNIROverse, characters, and of course, climate change. One can also purchase the book on the website as well. Like and follow the book's Facebook page by searching The End of the Beginning. I've also provided this link below and a Youtube video that explains more about the book and me. If you need anything else please let me know. Thank you so much!